My application was complete in mid-February and I was waitlisted yesterday. It was my top choice although I already got into a "better ranked" school, so I was pretty bummed about it. Ill send a LOCI and some supplemental stuff.

I applied back in January but just found out two weeks ago that there was an issue with my school releasing my transcript so I finally got it straightened out and they have my completed application/report as of today... so I guess the wait re-starts.

I did get an email from the dean back in November (through CRS I'm assuming) with a fee waiver and it mentioned scholarships so I hope that's a good indicator.

P.S. Considering it is so late in the admissions cycle, what do you guys think my odds are of getting accepted (and more importantly getting some $$$) I'm black/hispanic female 155/3.67

I was fortunate enough to gain admittance into HUSL which was my number 1 choice...I wish all of you the best of luck and hopefully I will see you fall 2010. Feel free to ask me any questions about the admissions process, I know how nerve racking it can be and up until a couple weeks ago I was a mess.lol

I applied back in January but just found out two weeks ago that there was an issue with my school releasing my transcript so I finally got it straightened out and they have my completed application/report as of today... so I guess the wait re-starts.

I did get an email from the dean back in November (through CRS I'm assuming) with a fee waiver and it mentioned scholarships so I hope that's a good indicator.

P.S. Considering it is so late in the admissions cycle, what do you guys think my odds are of getting accepted (and more importantly getting some $$$) I'm black/hispanic female 155/3.67

I'm a black male attending a top Public University ...Our numbers are almost Identical, I sent my app out Jan 22nd and was notified that i was complete Feb 2nd and got my acceptance approx 4weeks later. I hope that helps

I applied back in January but just found out two weeks ago that there was an issue with my school releasing my transcript so I finally got it straightened out and they have my completed application/report as of today... so I guess the wait re-starts.

I did get an email from the dean back in November (through CRS I'm assuming) with a fee waiver and it mentioned scholarships so I hope that's a good indicator.

P.S. Considering it is so late in the admissions cycle, what do you guys think my odds are of getting accepted (and more importantly getting some $$$) I'm black/hispanic female 155/3.67

I'm a black male attending a top Public University ...Our numbers are almost Identical, I sent my app out Jan 22nd and was notified that i was complete Feb 2nd and got my acceptance approx 4weeks later. I hope that helps

It def does! It seems like 4 weeks seems to be the standard waiting time... I'll keep my fingers crossed! Congrats to everyone who was already accepted and good luck to those still pending! Hopefully, we will see each other in the fall.

hiromoto45 wrote:It has been advised that if you are an AA URM its T14 (maybe T20) or Howard or bust.

People advising that are idiots and should not be taken seriously.

I don't think they're idiots at all. In terms of BigLaw, Judicial Clerkships, Starting Salaries,OCI Howard out places schools outside the T-14..diversity initiatives encourage firms to recruit from Howard. In terms of opportunities after school Top 20% of Howard can compete with Top 20% of any school outside the T-14, and even some within.

hiromoto45 wrote:It has been advised that if you are an AA URM its T14 (maybe T20) or Howard or bust.

People advising that are idiots and should not be taken seriously.

I don't think they're idiots at all. In terms of BigLaw, Judicial Clerkships, Starting Salaries,OCI Howard out places schools outside the T-14..diversity initiatives encourage firms to recruit from Howard. In terms of opportunities after school Top 20% of Howard can compete with Top 20% of any school outside the T-14, and even some within.

They absolutely are idiots. There's 2 things wrong with that mentality. One Howard is not on the same level as a T14. It has one thing going for it with several things against it. It's a T3 school and almost half student's don't pass the bar. It's good quality is that a lot of firms come for OCI however as was previously pointed out when this mentality was previously brought up you have to be at the top of your class to land a job with one of those firms. This is not true for most of the T14. Second problem with this mentality is the its either t14 or nothing. That is absolutely ridiculous. You can have a very vibrant career at a school outside the t14. People should really stop spreading nonesense.

msesquire2b wrote:I know Howard isn't technically a TLS, but to some of us it is. Did anyone else apply to Howard? Any acceptances yet?

Howard is a TLS. Besides, you've seen people discussing Suffolk, syracuse and other 3T schools. Howard is widely regarded as an underranked and underrated school that could be reasonably ranked as high as #50.

That said, I was admitted to Howard Last year with a full scholly plus some other money. I turned it down but am having second thoughts. My mentality has become "Top-20 or Howard", really, and I know that is how many others think. Howard's employment prospects rival those of the very top schools in the country. OCI is 400 firms, including the most prestigious ones in the country: Cravath, Skadden, Latham, Sidley, Kirkland, DLA Piper, Paul Weiss, K & L Gates, etc.

I am agonizing over it, but my friends are rankings whores and think I'm crazy. They believe that all top-50 schools are necessarily better than Howard. I don't. I was WL's at several top-20 schools last year (about half of those top-10). I was admitted to some top-30, top-40 and top-50 schools in the alternative. Outside of that, I applied to Miami, Temple and Howard on whims, all of which offered me full scholarships. I chose not to attend law school and reapplied foi this year.

I am wondering if I just shouldn't go to Howard if re-admitted (so long as they aren't insulted by what I did last year) and call it a day. I don't belive I can get a better financial situation because almost all of my costs at Howard would be covered, so I would graduate with almost no debt. I would be in D.C. which I love, and I would get to attend school at an HBCU, which I didn't get to do for undergrad. Plaus, Howard grads are spread out geographically and professionally, and many are doing what I want to do. the only opportunity I lose is SCOTUS.

hiromoto45 wrote:It has been advised that if you are an AA URM its T14 (maybe T20) or Howard or bust.

People advising that are idiots and should not be taken seriously.

I don't think they're idiots at all. In terms of BigLaw, Judicial Clerkships, Starting Salaries,OCI Howard out places schools outside the T-14..diversity initiatives encourage firms to recruit from Howard. In terms of opportunities after school Top 20% of Howard can compete with Top 20% of any school outside the T-14, and even some within.

They absolutely are idiots. There's 2 things wrong with that mentality. One Howard is not on the same level as a T14. It has one thing going for it with several things against it. It's a T3 school and almost half student's don't pass the bar. It's good quality is that a lot of firms come for OCI however as was previously pointed out when this mentality was previously brought up you have to be at the top of your class to land a job with one of those firms. This is not true for most of the T14. Second problem with this mentality is the its either t14 or nothing. That is absolutely ridiculous. You can have a very vibrant career at a school outside the t14. People should really stop spreading nonesense.

You're wrong. Approximately 35% don't pass "on the first attempt". That isn't the same thing as what you are proposing, and it isn't as deadly as it may initially appear. Firms don't typically withdraw their offers or fire you for failing on your first try. And it is only a 3t according to some ranking systems, namely USNWR, which is easily the most flawed rankings system out there. As good as Howard is, no HBCU would ever be a T1 school under the USNWR system, which gives 40% weight to "reputation", as rated by old, white judges and academics who have no idea what Howard is and have no experience with the school. And USNWR sample size has been questioned, as many judges say they've never received a survey.

I will, however, concede that black students are passing up many great law schools by subscribing to this mentality. I saw a great link yesterday regarding black perfomance on the LSAT. At the end of the lecture, the professor denounced the "Top-20 or bust" approach (the inclusion of Howard is essentially the same thing).

I applied back in January but just found out two weeks ago that there was an issue with my school releasing my transcript so I finally got it straightened out and they have my completed application/report as of today... so I guess the wait re-starts.

I did get an email from the dean back in November (through CRS I'm assuming) with a fee waiver and it mentioned scholarships so I hope that's a good indicator.

P.S. Considering it is so late in the admissions cycle, what do you guys think my odds are of getting accepted (and more importantly getting some $$$) I'm black/hispanic female 155/3.67

You are a good bet. I applied on March 14 last year and got in with money. My LSAT is higher than yours, but your GPA is slightly higher than mine.

hiromoto45 wrote:It has been advised that if you are an AA URM its T14 (maybe T20) or Howard or bust.

People advising that are idiots and should not be taken seriously.

I don't think they're idiots at all. In terms of BigLaw, Judicial Clerkships, Starting Salaries,OCI Howard out places schools outside the T-14..diversity initiatives encourage firms to recruit from Howard. In terms of opportunities after school Top 20% of Howard can compete with Top 20% of any school outside the T-14, and even some within.

They absolutely are idiots. There's 2 things wrong with that mentality. One Howard is not on the same level as a T14. It has one thing going for it with several things against it. It's a T3 school and almost half student's don't pass the bar. It's good quality is that a lot of firms come for OCI however as was previously pointed out when this mentality was previously brought up you have to be at the top of your class to land a job with one of those firms. This is not true for most of the T14. Second problem with this mentality is the its either t14 or nothing. That is absolutely ridiculous. You can have a very vibrant career at a school outside the t14. People should really stop spreading nonesense.

I never said Howard was a T-14. I never said you can't have a vibrant career outside the t14. I personally would chose any T-14 over Howard. What I DID say was it is not Idiotic to chose Howard over lets say Indiana or Wisconsin (two school I passed over, in order to go to Howard) or similarly ranked schools outside the T14. They are ranked higher but as a black male are my chances after school really better at those schools than Howard, when looking at hiring, clerkship's, etc. You have to be at the top of your class to land those jobs at any school not just Howard. You think top firms are dipping down to the 50% at schools like Indiana/Brooklyn to get blk males?...the top 20% of Howard gets the same opportunities as the top 20% of schools ranked right out of the t-14...do u disagree with that statement? If you think Howard is just some T3 then you're greatly mistaken. http://www.law.com/img/nlj/charts/composite.pdf

I was accepted with a 20k scholarship but I don't think I will be attending. I was admitted to some schools in the top 20 WULS, Boston U, and USC as well as some others like Illinois, and Bama.

All of the schools have given me better scholarships (more $ and not tied to a certain GPA)

Initially, I was torn because we all know Howard is the school of the black elite, and learning the law at school that housed some of the greatest legal minds of color and from professors of color is something I don't want to so easily give up.

That being said, I sort of feel like I would be turning great opportunities at other schools to attend Howard (especially if I wasn't able to negotiate a full ride)

It sounds petty and a little elitist but at this point I think I may have to pass.

PDaddy wrote:You're wrong. Approximately 35% don't pass "on the first attempt". That isn't the same thing as what you are proposing, and it isn't as deadly as it may initially appear. Firms don't typically withdraw their offers or fire you for failing on your first try.

All of the stats that I've looked at say the same thing. Howard's bar passage rate for ny is 60%. maybe I should have specifically said 40% and not said almost half. But saying I'm wrong is not true. I gave an estimate and clearly said almost half

And it is only a 3t according to some ranking systems, namely USNWR, which is easily the most flawed rankings system out there. As good as Howard is, no HBCU would ever be a T1 school under the USNWR system, which gives 40% weight to "reputation", as rated by old, white judges and academics who have no idea what Howard is and have no experience with the school. And USNWR sample size has been questioned, as many judges say they've never received a survey.

USNWR is the standard ranking system that's used on this board and is what the poster was referring to. The poster used the term t14 which refers to the schools that have been consistently ranked in the top 14 on USNWR. Second I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm not suggesting the USNWR is great. In fact I'm challenging the mentality that you should go to a school ranked in the top 14 on USNWR or not go to law school at all.

hiromoto45 wrote:It has been advised that if you are an AA URM its T14 (maybe T20) or Howard or bust.

People advising that are idiots and should not be taken seriously.

I don't think they're idiots at all.

I never said Howard was a T-14. I never said you can't have a vibrant career outside the t14.

You are not following the conversation at all. I responded to hiromo's post about people having the mentality t14 and howard or bust, people with that mentality are idiots. You then responded to my statements to hiromo, claiming I was wrong they're not idiots.

PDaddy wrote:You're wrong. Approximately 35% don't pass "on the first attempt". That isn't the same thing as what you are proposing, and it isn't as deadly as it may initially appear. Firms don't typically withdraw their offers or fire you for failing on your first try.

All of the stats that I've looked at say the same thing. Howard's bar passage rate for ny is 60%. maybe I should have specifically said 40% and not said almost half. But saying I'm wrong is not true. I gave an estimate and clearly said almost half

And it is only a 3t according to some ranking systems, namely USNWR, which is easily the most flawed rankings system out there. As good as Howard is, no HBCU would ever be a T1 school under the USNWR system, which gives 40% weight to "reputation", as rated by old, white judges and academics who have no idea what Howard is and have no experience with the school. And USNWR sample size has been questioned, as many judges say they've never received a survey.

USNWR is the standard ranking system that's used on this board and is what the poster was referring to. The poster used the term t14 which refers to the schools that have been consistently ranked in the top 14 on USNWR. Second I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm not suggesting the USNWR is great. In fact I'm challenging the mentality that you should go to a school ranked in the top 14 on USNWR or not go to law school at all.

I'm challenging OP's use of USNWR and TLS as points of reference or as arbiters of what a worthy school is. I think we might be somewhat on the same page. But we differ on T20, Howard or bust. You are against it; I am on the fence, but seeing some merit in it.

On bar passage, you did not distinguish between "passage" and "first-time passage". For Howard grads, passage is what counts, not first time passage. Firms that recruit there do so expecting that some recruits won't pass on their first try. So the prospect that one might not pass on the first try is not the best reason to reject Howard. Secondly, bar passage is up to the individual. And anyone with an LSAT above 153 has a reasonably good shot at passing the NY bar on his/her first try.

Not sure. Howard gave me a full ride which is awesome, but I'm from New Orleans and the thought of dealing with D.C. weather for 3 years depresses me. I'm weighing Howard against Vandy's half tuition offer, and waiting on aid and decisions from a few others.